2012 Smart Growth Award Winners Announced

An innovative zoning code in a small town, a wide-ranging multi-jurisdiction open-space and historic-asset preservation feasibility study, a dramatic repurposing of a distressed suburban shopping center and a mixed-use brownfield redevelopment project are among the seven 2012 winners of New Jersey Future’s Smart Growth Awards. (Full list.)

In addition, the Cary Edwards Leadership Award will be presented to Joseph M. Taylor, chairman and chief executive officer of Panasonic Corporation of North America. In April 2011, Mr. Taylor announced that Panasonic would construct a new North American headquarters on the riverfront near Newark Penn Station.

“All of this year’s entrants are to be commended on pursuing the vision of smarter growth and redevelopment, even in a very trying economic environment,” said New Jersey Future Executive Director Peter Kasabach. “The winners exemplify the very best of smart-growth principles, from fostering development near transit to preserving our precious historic and open-space resources to working collaboratively with public and private stakeholders to bring about fairer and more efficient land uses. We are honored at their participation in this awards program and we look forward to celebrating their work.

“We are also pleased to be able to honor Joseph Taylor for the significant investment he and Panasonic are making in the ongoing revitalization of Newark,” Kasabach continued. “His decision now to bring his company to Newark will provide lasting benefits to Panasonic, to its employees and to the city, and we are proud to recognize his vision with this award.”

The Smart Growth Award-winners also drew praise from New Jersey Future trustee and senior fellow Ingrid Reed, who chaired the selection committee. “The committee was pleased to see a broad diversity of approaches to addressing local needs and opportunities through smart-growth strategies,” Reed said. “Yet all exhibited the same goal: to foster responsible development that creates vibrant places to live, work, study and enjoy. This year’s winners provide examples that can be emulated by communities around the state and, indeed, around the country.”

Inter-Municipal Open Space PreservationMorris Canal Greenway Feasibility Study, Passaic County Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, Canal Society of New Jersey, County of Passaic, Louis Berger Group

Infill Strategies for Adaptive Re-UseNewark Neighborhood Housing City of Newark, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, RPM Development Group